Today Martirio Films and Illusorium are thrilled to announce that their animated short film “THE QUINTA’S GHOST” (El Fantasma de la Quinta), directed by James A. Castillo, narrated by actress Maribel Verdú (Y tu mamá también, Pan’s Labyrinth, Blancanieves), and produced by Illusorium and Martirio Films, has been shortlisted in the Best Animated Short Film category for the 2026 Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday, December 16, the shortlist in 12 categories for the 98th Academy Awards®: Animated Short Film, Casting, Cinematography, Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Sound, and Visual Effects.
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, selected from a total of 113 films that qualified in the category. Members of the Academy from the Animation and Short Films branches were invited to participate in the preliminary voting round and were required to meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Among them is the Spanish short film “THE QUINTA’S GHOST”, whose team is thrilled upon learning the news. Its Emmy award-winning director, James A. Castillo said: “It’s incredible news. I tremble just thinking about it. I was preparing dinner, trying to avoid my phone because the anticipation was driving me crazy, and then, one after another, notifications from friends and family started flooding my phone, and it all culminated in a phone call with the team. We laughed, screamed, and cried. It was fantastic.
I feel deeply honored by the announcement and, especially, by the support from everyone. There are dozens of people helping us make the film visible, helping us submit it to festivals, trying to spark media interest… making your film visible is a monumental effort. So thank you to everyone involved, and also to those who selected it at a festival, those who considered it worthy of an award, those who approached us after a screening to tell us how much they liked it… every gesture pushes us one step further on this path toward excellence.
Additionally, seeing all the incredible films selected means something truly special. As an animation fan above all else, I’m excited to see the Academy take risks and select films that are incredibly cutting-edge, nuanced, and interesting. I feel very honored to be among so many other artists.”
It has also been great news for Raúl Rocha, executive producer and head of Illusorium Studio, whose team of more than 160 people participated in the making of this short film: “Since we launched the campaign, the shortlist topic was something I tried to push out of my mind. It’s incredible to see the list — I still can’t quite believe it! Last night I was driving home, in the car, taking a work call, when another group call appeared with the partners and James — everyone going crazy! At first I was a bit skeptical, but it became real as soon as I parked and was able to see the news with my own eyes. Getting this far already seemed unthinkable; it’s astonishing.
During the production of the short, many people doubted what we were doing, and I think this is yet another milestone that proves it did make sense. It has been, and continues to be, a titanic effort by a huge number of people at every stage of the project, including this second life, which is new to me and I acknowledge is far more demanding than I imagined. I would like to personally thank each and every person involved in the film — they deserve everything! And also thank the Academy for selecting a piece that breaks with many frameworks that seem to be pre-established in the world of animation. Thank you for allowing us to live this dream!”
In the nominations round, members of the Academy from all branches are invited to vote and must watch the 15 shortlisted films in order to be eligible. Voting for nominations begins on Monday, January 12, 2026, and concludes on Friday, January 16, 2026.
The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026, with the nominated short films competing on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the iconic Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, where the 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held and broadcast live on ABC and in more than 200 countries worldwide.
For more information visit: www.thequintasghost.com
About Illusorium
An animation and VFX studio based in Madrid, founded by Raúl Rocha, Carlos Sastre, Daniel López, and José Manuel Pequeño. Illusorium combines artistic talent and technical excellence to create visually unique works, with the mission of moving away from standards and breaking industry rules in every project. Each piece is conceived as a prototype that explores new visual and narrative languages. Among their most recent works are the series Secret Level (Amazon Prime Video), Sky: The Two Embers (thatgamecompany), and the cinematic trailer for Marathon (Bungie), directed by Oscar winner Alberto Mielgo.
With a primarily international trajectory, The Quinta’s Ghost becomes their first original production project, opening Spanish culture to the world.
About Martirio Films
Martirio Films is an independent film production company born from the need to create a meeting place between genre narratives, auteur cinema, and animation. A kind of artistic trench from which to defend new and genuine voices so that they can find the support to tell their reality in an undeniably universal way.
Founded by award-winning James A. Castillo, the mission of Martirio Films is to be the starting point toward a future where animation transcends generational and disciplinary boundaries, embracing the avant-garde in all its forms. With a bold vision, the production company sets out to challenge the established conventions of the film industry and open the doors to new artistic expressions.
“The Quinta’s Ghost” marks its first national production.